Winter reading

[2IPAs]

So what are folks reading now that baseball is over and we're going to be down to reality shows soon?

I just finished a David Sedaris book that my brother gave me for my birthday, "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim." I'd never read or heard the man's essays before and found them to be a scream (especially the one on being obsessive-compulsive). Another fun read that I finished recently was Carl Hiassen's "Lucky You." The author works for the Miami Herald and has written a number of thrillers featuring colorful south Florida characters.

[saltydad]

Hiassen is a fantastic writer, who seems to perfectly capture the off kilter South Florida culture.

[natsfan1a]

I think that I liked Sedaris' Me Talk Pretty One Day best of the ones that I've read. Funny stuff! He does a humorous piece on NPR radio about his (short-lived) holiday career as a department store elf.

I'm catching up with baseball reading. Just finished Veeck as in Wreck and am working on a few others (recent acquisitions include The Cheater's Guide to Baseball, by Derek Zumsteg; Watching Baseball Smarter, by Zack Hample; and The Hustler's Handbook, by Bill Veeck). hmmm, some of those titles sound a little shady, don't they?

Speaking of reading, you might also be interested in these earlier threads:

http://www.wnff.net/index.php/topic,5622.0.html

http://www.wnff.net/index.php/topic,4815.0.html

[NatsAddict]

Hiassen is a fantastic writer, who seems to perfectly capture the off kilter South Florida culture.

Florida: The WTF State



Almost all the incidents in Hiassens's  books are based on true stories.  I'm waiting to see if he picks up on our latest murder trial - some octogenarians' disagreement over a woman escalating into a gunfight at a  synagogue.  The accused, who has been found to be suffering from dementia, has also been found competent to represent himself - dementia being the norm down here.  The only problem I have with Hiassen is that he doesn't write fast enough.  My favorite of his books is Stormy Weather (about hurricane Andrew - the actual hurricane, not TFS).

Another writer who captures the Florida culture well is Tim Dorsey, who used to write for the Tampa Tribune.  My favorite of his is Triggerfish Twist.

[2IPAs]

Florida: The WTF State

OK, I'll bite. What does "WTF" stand for?

[2IPAs]

I think that I liked Sedaris' Me Talk Pretty One Day best of the ones that I've read. Funny stuff! He does a humorous piece on NPR radio about his (short-lived) holiday career as a department store elf.

I'm catching up with baseball reading. Just finished Veeck as in Wreck and am working on a few others (recent acquisitions include The Cheater's Guide to Baseball, by Derek Zumsteg; Watching Baseball Smarter, by Zack Hample; and The Hustler's Handbook, by Bill Veeck). hmmm, some of those titles sound a little shady, don't they?

Speaking of reading, you might also be interested in these earlier threads:

http://www.wnff.net/index.php/topic,5622.0.html

http://www.wnff.net/index.php/topic,4815.0.html

I have the Zack Hample book--what did you think of it? Any of the baseball books do a better job than the others of educating baseball newbies?

[natsfan1a]

ummm, I think that the first two words are "what the"

OK, I'll bite. What does "WTF" stand for?

[natsfan1a]

I'm still working on it but I like it so far. The one that I found most helpful as a "rookie" fan was the Complete Idiot's Guide tp Baseball (Johnny Bench). I also like The New Baseball Dictionary (Paul Dickson). I learned a lot by keeping it next to me when I was watching or listening to games at home, and it's fun to browse through, too.

I have the Zack Hample book--what did you think of it? Any of the baseball books do a better job than the others of educating baseball newbies?

[NatsAddict]

I believe it was 1a that introduced me to The Joy of Scorekeeping.  Another book I found when looking that up on Amazon is Baseball Scorekeeping: A Practical Guide to the Rules.  Both are very good.

[natsfan1a]

Guilty as charged. In case 2IP wants to track it down, I believe that the title of the Dickson book is The Joy of Keeping Score.

[arkymark]

I'll always plug Three Nights in August as the best narrative book for learning about baseball. 

[NatsAddict]

I'll always plug Three Nights in August as the best narrative book for learning about baseball. 

I'm not familiar with that one.  I'll have to look it up.

On the other end of the spectrum, avoid at all costs Jerry Remy's How to Watch Baseball.  It's the secret ingredient in Ambien.

[natsfan1a]

Three Nights in August is a good read, and it has a pretty decent index as well. I haven't come across Remy's book, but I don't usually have trouble nodding off, so I guess that I won't seek it out.

I'm not familiar with that one.  I'll have to look it up.

On the other end of the spectrum, avoid at all costs Jerry Remy's How to Watch Baseball.  It's the secret ingredient in Ambien.

[Eddie the Expos fan]

Here are some of my favorite funny baseball books:
1.  The Bronx Zoo by Sparky Lyle and Peter Goldenbock
2.  Catcher in the Wry by Bob Uecker and Mickey Herskowitz


Some terrific baseball classics:
1.  Glory of their Times by Lawerence Ritter
2.  Ball Four the Final Pitch by Jim Bouton
3.  Good Enough to Dream by Roger Kahn

[2IPAs]

Thanks for the suggestions, all!  Maybe Santa will bring me a few new baseball books if I behave.

[saltydad]

Currently reading Citizen Soldiers by Stephen Ambrose. Great read.

[natsfan1a]

I liked the Bouton and Uecker books, too (and I'd be tempted to double-post Bouton's in the funny books list). Haven't read the others yet.

Here are some of my favorite funny baseball books:
1.  The Bronx Zoo by Sparky Lyle and Peter Goldenbock
2.  Catcher in the Wry by Bob Uecker and Mickey Herskowitz


Some terrific baseball classics:
1.  Glory of their Times by Lawerence Ritter
2.  Ball Four the Final Pitch by Jim Bouton
3.  Good Enough to Dream by Roger Kahn

[DPMOmaha]

I've been working on this one for a while and I think I posted it in one of those other reading threads, but I'm working on a book called "The Echoing Green" about the season behind the scenes that led up to Bobby Thompson's home run, the infamous "Shot Heard 'round the World".  If you're a baseball historian, it's a great read, or if you're just a reader, it's a great read.

I'm also reading a book about a Christian missionary in China called "The Heavenly Man".  Fascinating some of the stuff he endured and how it shaped him and his faith.  If you're a "believer" it's highly challenging and motivating.  If you're not, well it might not hold much interest for you.  Also working my way through Exodus.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Good book.  It really bugged me that Ambrose got caught up in that whole plagiarism fooferaw right before he died...he was a big factor in the WWII memorial being built while some of those guys were still alive, and if he inadvertantly scooped 5 lines from somewhere, well show me a writer who hasn't. 

Currently reading Citizen Soldiers by Stephen Ambrose. Great read.